St. Francis of Assisi was known as a “nature boy” because, unlike the rest of us, he looked at a bird and thought, yes, my brother.

Francis of Assisi (1181–1226) had a radical habit of treating nature like family. He called the sun “Brother Sun,” the moon “Sister Moon,” and apparently never once rolled his eyes at a chirping sparrow. According to tradition, he even preached sermons to birds. Not metaphorically. Literally. Imagine being so spiritually committed that pigeons are part of your audience demographic.

He believed all creation reflected God’s goodness, so animals, plants, wind, fire—none of it was background scenery. It was sacred. This worldview shows up beautifully in his poem, the Canticle of the Sun, where he praises God through elements of nature. It’s basically medieval eco-poetry before “eco” was trendy.

There’s also the famous story of him taming the Wolf of Gubbio. While most people would run, Francis negotiated a peace treaty. You struggle to text someone back; he’s brokering détente with predators. Because of this deep reverence for creation, he’s now considered the patron saint of animals and ecology. 

So yes, “nature boy” fits. He wasn’t just outdoorsy. He was spiritually on a first-name basis with chlorophyll.